The dead dad
by I am a necromancer
Summary: When Penny Olsen wakes up with a hangover, she wonders what happened at 4a last night. Sheldon and her discover a new friendship paradigm shift
1. Chapter 1

Penny Olsen looked at her coffee table through bleary eyes, and saw that littered across it were empty shot glasses. Oh dear lord... great, now she was picking up Sheldor the conquerors bloody phrases. She needed to get out more and stop eating so much pizza and playing Halo. _Hmm, _Penny thought to herself, _why the hell did I drink so much? Definitely drinking to forget._ Penny decided to go to 4a to make some inquiries.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

"Sheldon, Leonard! Open Up!"

Damn, she was still in her pyjamas; hopefully it wouldn't be Leonard opening the door. The damn git was still in love with her.

The door opened to reveal a really tall man with amazing blue eyes, in a green lantern t-shirt, looking huffily at her.

"Penny! I do hope you realise you've disrupted the whole equilibrium of my day! The contract clearly states-"

"Can it, sweetie! What happened last night?"

Leonard appeared next to Sheldon with a fidgety look on his face.

"Penny can't you remember? You got a call last night, during our age of Conan competition. Your dad has... passed away."

Penny stopped. Her eyes dulled, her mouth slacked and her personality and ego fled. Penny didn't even realise she was crying hysterically until she was guided in by Leonard.

"I shall make hot beverages." muttered Sheldon.

"She doesn't need it" cut Leonard.

"It's not optional." replied Sheldon.

Penny was sobbing ferociously. The tears were flooding onto the floor and Sheldon didn't bat an eyelid. What a feat for Mr. Germaphobe, who set the Hot Beverages on the table and stood back awkwardly, saying 'there, there'.

Leonard huffed out a sigh and earned himself a 'you are in my seat!' and a horrified Sheldon, hating the prospect of sitting elsewhere.

"Sheldon, Get A Fucking Life!" growled Leonard.

"Leonard, It's time for work, but I have a day off." whispered Sheldon.

"Fine, but you have to take care of Penny and give her everything she needs." And with that Leonard ran out the door, slamming the door behind him.

"Have you eaten?" _No response._

He cautiously crept over to the unmoving figure and poked it. _No response._

This was going to be a monotonous cycle, so Sheldon decided to make spaghetti Bolognese. Though he would most likely have to force feed it to her, he scrubbed at his haves for five minutes, then recleaned al the utensils he was going to use. He boiled the spaghetti and cooked the


	2. Chapter 2

This was going to be a monotonous cycle, so Sheldon decided to make spaghetti Bolognese. Though he would most likely have to force feed it to her, he scrubbed at his hands for five minutes, then recleaned al the utensils he was going to use. He boiled the spaghetti and cooked the sauce. He desperately needed to get going on Age of Conan; those nincompoops couldn't complete it by themselves.

"Did you know that _spaghetti_ is the plural form of the Italian word _spaghetto_, which is a diminutive of _spago_, meaning 'thin string' or 'twine.' Traditionally, most spaghetti was 50 cm long, but shorter lengths gained in popularity during the latter half of the 20th century and now spaghetti is most commonly available in 25–30 cm lengths." Sheldon set the bowl in front of Penny and went over to his laptop; he didn't think Penny would need anything else. Why should she? "I got the 50cm ones, made from durum wheat."

"W-what are you playing?" Penny asked Sheldon, looking at him for the first time in a while.

"Age of Conan, if you would like to play, I suggest you get your laptop, 1 of these 2 people are useful and that one is a healer. You are a... mage."

Penny walked out and into 4b. She ignored the scattered shot glasses, took a swig of tequila and grabbed her pink laptop. She remembered when she had gotten major addicted to the game and even accepted a virtual date from Howard. Eugh. The said addict started up her laptop and walked back into 4a, to find Sheldon battling a massive ogre on his laptop.

"Penny! Quickly, this is a dark level 124 Ogre, so I need you to back me up."

Penny logged on and started beating up every monster she could find, and Sheldon was defeating half as many. It was probably a new type of therapy. Yeah, she could make millions! She was a level 137. Even after she realised she had become addicted, she kept on playing, killing monsters but never spending any money. She was a herald of Xotli, with rare silk amour and had the ability to self-resurrect and shape shift into any form she'd met or battled before, with the exception of people. Ah, the effects of violent games.

When Leonard got back, he didn't like the idea that Penny was going to be alone and probably suffer post-traumatic syndrome. He invited her to stay the night and eat pizza, as it was Thursday. Penny, despite herself, gladly accepted; no matter what she could do on age of Conan, this was real life and she couldn't be alone after the events of the morning. The only normal thing was that Howard was _still_ hitting on her. Penny being Penny, she just had to rise to it. She couldn't sit around moping and playing video games. Could she? Even Raj was making an effort, saying words like "hello" and "bye" in front of her. That was the limit to his girl vocabulary. Penny slept round Leonard and Sheldon's that night, but that didn't do anything to help the nightmares. She went out onto the balcony, and looked onto the buzzing life below. She thought about how her life was going to be now. _It could all be over_, she thought, _If I just... _She leaned over a bit more and more. She was almost half way over now. Yeah, then she wouldn't even have to care about becoming an actress or having a broken heart.

"Penny, don't you dare." Demanded a scolding voice behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Honestly what a confidence boost. I read the reviews and smiled so hard i thought my cheeks would burst. Any more reviews would be welcome, critique as well!

Penny whipped around to see Sheldon his infamous plaid dressing gown. He kinda looked cute, and everything. Forget cute, he looked handsome. Penny turned an appropriate shade of red for both thinking of Sheldon in that way and trying to commit suicide, which Sheldon was still horrified at.

"Sheldon, honey, I know what it looks like, but... I can't handle the fact that I'll never see my dad again; he'll never call me slugger or play baseball. Obviously it's hard for you to understand-" Penny was almost sobbing again, now.

"Penny, but if you committed suicide, how could I live or Leonard, and even Howard and Raj? Please, even if you've lost someone, don't make _us_ lose _you_."

She looked at him, with tears trickling down her red cheeks, and smiled. Sheldon looked at her resignedly, stepped forward and tried to make his arms fall into the correct hugging position. After 30seconds he hugged Penny and held her as tight as someone with no measurable upper body strength could. Well it definitely wasn't a weak hug; she had to give him that. She stayed in that position while Sheldon pondered what to do. She couldn't stay in the living room, or anywhere unsupervised, and when he relayed this to Penny, she gave a quick giggle.

"The answer's simple. We both sleep in your room."

Instead of 'no', the answer she was expecting, he nodded.

"I can't believe you thought of it first." With no addition of bazinga, or his strange wheezy laugh she just stood there gaping like an idiot.

"Well are you coming?" he asked.

"Uhh, yeah." She scuttled after him, a dazed look etched across her face.

She got into Sheldon's bed and patted the spot next to her. Sheldon hesitated, and for a split second, Penny wondered what was going on in that amazing mind. That split second was interrupted by Sheldon slipping in beside her and turning off the side lamp. She smiled genuinely, and went to sleep, sub-consciously aware of Sheldon's comforting warmth.

"Fucking hell! What is Penny doing in your room, no your bed!"

Penny turned over to look at a perspiring, worried Leonard, and she half smiled half smirked. That look on his face and the tone in his slightly whiny voice was totally priceless. Maybe she should ask Sheldon out just to see the- No that would be cruel. Not to Leonard but to Sheldon, who was wide awake and yelling 'danger, danger!' around, tossing and whipping his head back and forth. The poor moonpie, he had been woken up by Leonards screaming.

"Penny, what the hell happened, did he go out drinking, or something, because that, I think, is the only plausible and logical explanation. Please don't tell me you slept together." asked Leonard.

"Technically, yes we slept together, but to your terms, we didn't engage in coitus so put your inferior mind at ease. Penny was... having nightmares, and refused to sleep alone. She practically invited herself in." Interrupted Sheldon.

Penny groaned as she realised she had to work today, and it was Tuesday. She had to serve Sheldon.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry about the confusion. My mum will cut off the internet, because I spend ages on it, if I ignore my birthday and not talk to her. I need ideas for what to do! My mum is odd; she thinks I don't talk to her enough... what does she know? Thx!

As Penny whisked from table to table she wondered if she could just skip today. She didn't _have_ to go shoe shopping... Oh, who was she kidding? She needed more shoes like hell and skiving wasn't going to help her cause, was it? She saw Sheldon walking in, but there was no entourage following him in, which automatically caught her attention.

"What's up, Moonpie? Where's Leonard and friends?"

"Only Meemaw can call me 'Moonpie', Penny, as you are very much aware. Leonard, to coin a phrase has ditched me for a new Mexican place, of which I do not approve. They have little devil forks, as my mother would say."

"Oh, well, take a seat. Can I get you a drink?"

"Diet coke, please." Said Sheldon, nonchalantly.

Still the same old -a-doodle, huh, Shelly? Penny sauntered off, and grabbed his diet coke. She was so busy, and she didn't need Sheldon registering a complaint. Just as she placed the glass on his table, she got a text, from .

_Me, Howard and Raj will each throw in $75 each, if you keep Sheldon happy. Thx!_

"That geeky bastard!" She yelled aloud. How dare he shove Sheldon off on her? Although, he probably had the bed thing still fresh in his 'inferior mind'. She just had to play with Sheldon's mind, it was so much fun! The cute 'deer in headlights' look- Oh god. She thought Sheldon was cute.

She walked past a table with a load of drunken slobs, and heard a few wolf whistles. They kinda looked like Kirk, in a way. One, who looked to be the leader, made a grab for her arse.

"Alwight, love? Ya look stressed. Come sit with us."

Penny was just about to answer, when Sheldon came to her side and gave them a haughty look.

"I am afraid that if any of you talk to her in such a manner, I shall be forced to kill you." He said fixing them with a death glare.

"Oh, what is she your girl? Mate, we do what we want, so fuck off."

Despite the strong language, the hostility emanating from Sheldon had shaken them up, and they just left Penny alone. Weird, but maybe the coldness had been a bit more than they were used to. Either way she was grateful.

"Hey, thanks Sheldon. I hate it when people do that." She beamed at him, and patted his shoulder.

"You mean people do that on multiple occasions? I really should discuss this with your boss; I don't appreciate the fact that people would be doing to that for someone I ca- for someone I worked hard to incorporate in my routine. Please make sure you take care of yourself." He had turned red and as he turned away, Penny thought she saw his jaw clench and eyes twitch.

_Was that really Dr. Whack-a-doodle? Why did he blush and was he about to say he... cared for me? _The thoughts racing around Penny's weren't entirely appropriate, but she came to realise that Sheldon, in his own way was really quite attractive. She had different feelings for each of the 'nerds'. Raj was like a cute puppy that had people problems, Howard was the weird little Jewish guy who hit on anyone, but, honestly still had good qualities. Leonard was the friend who kept coming back and Sheldon was... she loved him. She loved little Moonpie. Who would have thought it?


	5. Chapter 5

Sheldon lee Cooper, PhD, surveyed the paper before him, a multitude of formulae running through his exquisite brain. Today, he should be required to hand in his report for the Nobel prize. If he passed that stage, he would tell his little band of friends. They shouldn't need to know if he failed, but he wouldn't. Nay, he couldn't. Amy interrupted that thought, bearing bad news and several donuts.  
>"Sheldon, once again I would like to terminate our relationship agreement. Doubtless, I am exceedingly clever, however, I also require a boyfriend who is comfortable on a touchy-feely basis. Are you open to altering our paradigm?"<br>Sheldon being the Vulcan like person he was, nodded, offering only the salute and a formal goodbye. He felt an emotion that was probably a mixture of sadness and relief. Relief? Why should I feel this way? He ignored that and watched Amy saunter from his office.

He concluded his report and requested time to post it. The request was granted and he trailed melancholically to the post office. On returning, he found Howard, Rajesh and Leonard, all wearing, excluding Howard, a sympathetic look.  
>"What?"<br>"You broke up with Amy, are you ok?"  
>"Yes, I believe so. Now I have a neutrino to find and a Wiki page to change. Goodbye."<br>Sheldon glided away, leaving them all wondering at his odd behaviour. He must be feeling something, or maybe he was just gay or asexual. And the gang all knew he could suppress emotions well.  
>As Sheldon walked away, he pondered and analysed his feelings. They confused even himself, and frankly Penny would probably be the only one who could tell h- wait, Penny! Maybe she was why. He remembered taking his pulse and having anomalies in the beat. His pupils had dilated too, and only when he thought of her. Was this what it was like to 'like' someone? He had no previous results to compare this oddity with, so maybe time would tell. He would have to tell her, after all, a physicist had to face the facts.<p>

Penny looked at her toenails with delighted eyes, now a cute shade of baby pink, her feet looked more feminine. She couldn't think of any way to spend her first day off for the year. As that thought came across, Penny got a text from Amy, updating her on the recent paradigm shift between her and Sheldon. Penny scolded herself as a rushing feeling of pleasure spread through her. She couldn't help her base urges though. She flicked on the TV, after texting a sorry reply to Amy and looked through her channels. They were all static, except the Sci-Fi channel, which was showing a star trek marathon. She opened her apartment door, to let the air in and watched the only thing available.

When Sheldon, Leonard and Raj (Howard had to return to his Mother and Bernadette) returned home, they found Penny screaming.  
>"Not Data! Come on, save him, he can't die! DATA!" her pitch was that of a mosquito. When the trio saw what she was watching, they let out a comical, audible gasp. Star Trek, the thing they had been begging her to watch since the beginning.<br>"Guys, Data... He's DEAD!" Penny was crying again, for another loss of a beloved person. Her eyes were wide and filled with emotional tears.  
>"You're watching star trek." pointed out Leonard.<br>Raj nodded mutely and let out an obscure squeak. He had gone back to not saying a word, even after his hard work. Sheldon was the only one who wasn't surprised and sat next to Penny, to continue watching the marathon. He patted her on the back and did the most comforting thing a homo novus could do; he draped his arms over her shoulders.

After 8 hours and 3/4s of star trek, Sheldon and Penny sighed. They were glad for all the time they got watching Star Trek but for it to be over, well it was so disappointing. Hearing their sighs, Leonard peeked round the door. He watched Sheldon get really sleepy, watched both of them realise how tiring 8hrs of tv could be, and most of all, watched them fall asleep, Penny's head on Sheldons chest and Sheldons hand on her shoulder still. He walked back to his appartment, a numbing emptiness in his chest, and looked through Sheldon's chests for his laptop, of which he'd confiscated. There, on top of it, was a letter from the Nobel prize committee, saying Sheldon Cooper was a Nobel prize laureate.

"Sheldon lee Cooper! Why in the name of god didn't you tell me, or Penny?"  
>Sheldon jerked away, but Penny went on lightly snoring. He laid her down carefully and went to speak to Leonard.<br>"Yes? You disturbed my REM, I am not happy."  
>"Nobel prize laureate."<br>"H... How?"  
>"There was a letter in your desk. When do you get the results?"<br>"A month from now. Leonard I'm sorry I didn't tell you."  
>"The great Sheldon sure gets it all, right? A Nobel prize and Penny." the bitter but resigned way he lingered on Penny confused Sheldon. Penny and himself had no intimate relationship, and nothing in which they could make Leonard jealous.<br>"What do you mean; Penny?"  
>"Oh, come off it! I know you like her!" He shouted, waking Penny.<br>"Who likes me?"  
>Sheldon looked at Leonard and Leonard looked Sheldon.<br>"Leonard's being stupid, as per usual." stated Sheldon.  
>"humph." Was the only reply Sheldon got. Leonard stormed off and slammed the door behind him.<br>"He does raise a point though. After due monitoring, I have discovered I am attracted to you."  
>"… Really? I... I think I like you too."<br>Penny and Sheldon sat there in silence, both smiling slightly.

~5 years later.

"Penny don't be do stupid, of course you're going to live."  
>"No honey, I'm not. I'm so sorry. I hope you can move-" at that moment the heart monitor beeped, showing the single red word 'critical'.<br>"Nurse! It's critical, come quick."  
>Penny smiled slightly, laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, as if she were asleep.<p> 


End file.
